Strong box



Jan. 12, 1932. B N 1,840,884

STRONG BOX Filed Feb. 2, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 875%3 J 570 drawn;

Jan. 12, 1932. J; J. BROSNAN STRONG BOX Filed Feb. 2. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented ran. 1a, was

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JOHN J. BRCS'NAN, or won-enemas, arassaonusnrrs srnorre BOX Application filed February 2-, 1931'. Serial No. 512,769.

' 5 lock the money receiving compartment; to

provide a'convenientfalse bottom adapted to be supplied with a little money so that a thief getting into the box will think he has discovered the entire amount in it when the \10 main amount is concealed in another place,

and to provide a strong and rigid construction which can be fixed to a wall and which will appear to be looked through the false bottom. v 5 Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter. I

. Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings; in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred g embodiment of the invention shown as fixed to a vertical wall;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the stationary part thereof; V r

' Fig. 3 is a bottom view with the false 25 bottom removed;

Fig. 4 isva perspective view of the lower part of the stationary part of the box showing the false bottom exposed; v

Fig. 5 is a sectional view straight across 9 the box through the holes through which a padlock can be inserted;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the cover part of the box looking into it from the rear;

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing it ap- 3'5 plied to the stationary part of the box;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the lower part ofthe box with the cover raised to just expose the lock, showing the position when the device is entirely unlocked;

Fig. 9 is a similar. view showing the position when the cover is raised to expose the false bottom only and the box is still locked;

Fig. 10 is a similar view showing the parts entirely'closecl, and 1 r Fig. l1 is a sectional View on the line 1111 of Fig. 10 showing how the padlock is employed. V

This strong box consists mainly of two relatively slidable parts, one substantially so enclosing the other. and both made of strong sheet metal. 1 Apart 10 preferably hasa re inforced back 11 provided with perforations through it through which it can be screwed to a wall. This reinforcement spaces the edge of this'part fromthe wall to which it is secured. A'part 12 constitutes a cover and the movable partof the box. This part 10, 1

which'as stated is secured in fixed position, is providedwith an inclined chute 13 preferably extending across it nearly to the front side to direct the coins from the top down to the interior. This part has a platform or true bottom 14 which on its upper side has a lock 15, the latch 16 of which is pressed by a spring beyond the front surface of this part of the box. The lock is reached through a keyhole '17 which is exposed on the bottom of this platform or bottom 14:. This bottom is of sheet metal like the rest of the parts and provided with verticaldownwardly extending walls all around it by which it is secured to the sides of the stationary part 10.. It is spaced from the bottom of this part, not only the distance of these flanges, but also by a space of about theis'ame height and is ter- 7 minated on the bottom by inwardlyextending flanges 18 on three sides. These latter flanges furnish a guide for a purpose to be described. and the sidewalls are provided with perforations 19 about in the middle of this space thus described and on opposite sides.

The slidable member or cover 12 is also formed of sheet metal having three sides and a top complete all welded or otherwise secured together so that they constitute one piece. The sides and top have flanges 20 extending inwardly for engaging back of the rear wall of the member 10. That member, it was stated, is reinforced by a separatepiece of metal which spaces its edges from the wall to which this reinforcement is secured and these flanges extend behind it in that space. The top of this cover 12 is provided with .a

coin slot 21 of course, directly over the slanting member 13.- ()n the front side inside is a piece of metal 2 2 provided with a horizontal surface 23 above which the latch 16 engages when the cover is pulled up to the position.

shown in Fig. 9 and of course, the latch is be- 1 hind this surface 28 or directly above it at other times. In other words, with the lock 15 locked, the two members 10 and 12 lit together as shown in Fig. 1 but the lock does not prevent the cover from being raised to the position shown in Fig. 9. At that time the lock does prevent any further raising of the cover.

In the draw-slide formed by the flanges 18 is located a false bottom 25 having a depression 26 for the receipt of a few coins. This has a pair of perforations 27 through its opposite sides which register with the perforations 19 when the box is fully closed and also with perforatic in the si: es of th cover 12. Through the three perforations on one side a padlock 29 is inserted and the padlock locked.

Normally the device is in the position shown in Figs. 1, 5, 10 and 11. If a thief tries to rob the box, naturally he will file through the padlock or otherwise break it. This severs the connection between the two parts 10 and 12. The part 10 being fixed, he can raise the part 12 to the position shown in Fig. 9. The false bottom is exposed and it is also released by the removal of the padlock and it can be pulled out. It is likely that the thief will think that he has really opened the strong box because there will be some money on this false bottom. He will be unable probably to see the projection of the lock 15 below the bottom 14 and if he does he has got to go to the trouble of getting into that lock which more than doubles the time which he has expected to devote to the robbing of the box.

he parts are very strong and by the deceptive means of the false bottom it is unlikely that anything will be injured by the ordinary thief, at least, trying to get into it and also unlikely that it will be robbed of the main parts or its contents.

Although I have illustrated and described only one form of the invention I am aware of the fact that modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to be limited in this respect but what I do claim is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a strong box comprising two relatively slidable parts, one substantially enclosing the other and one of them being adapted to be fixed to a wall, a false bottom in one of said parts, exposed means for securing the two parts and the false bottom together, and means whereby the sliding motion of one of the parts on the other is limited to expose only a small proportion of the inner part and the false bottom in said inner part adapted to be slid out when the said connecting means is detached and the two main parts of the box will still be locked together in that position.

2. As an article of manufacture, a strong box comprising two relatively slidable parts, one substantially enclosing the other and one of them being adapted to be fixed to a Wall, a false bottom in one of said parts, exposed means for securing the two parts and the false bottom together, and means whereby the sliding motion of one of the parts on the other is limited to expose only a small proportion of the inner part and the false bottom.

3. As an article of manufacture, a strong box comprising two relatively slidable parts, one substantially enclosing the other and one of them being adapted to be fixed to a wall, a. false bottom in one of said parts, exposed means for securing the two parts together, means whereby the sliding motion of one of the parts on the other, when said exposed means is removed, is limited to expose only the false bottom, wnich is adapted to be slid out, means whereby the two parts of the box will sti l be locked together in that position, the bottom at that time being freely slidable out of the strong box and means for unlocking the slidable parts from each other accessible from the bottom of one of the parts and normally concealed by the false bottom.

4. in a strong box, the combination of two I relatively slidable parts, one enclosing the other and one being adapted to be secured in fixed position, a false end in one of said parts, means for attachingthe false end and the two parts together so that there can be no relative motion until said means is removed, means whereby when said means is removed the first two parts can be moved into such a relative position that the false end will be exposed, and means for preventing any further movement of the slidable parts in the same direction.

5. In a. strong box, the combination of two relatively slidable parts, one located inside the other, one adapted to be mounted in station ary position, the outer part having on the inside surface thereof a piece of metal having a stop surface at a short distance from the end, the other part having a platform extending across it transversely and provided on its inner surface with a latch which, in the normal position of the parts, is spaced from said surface, a false end adapted to be drawn out sideways when relative motion takes place between the first two parts sufiicient to allow it, the relative positions of the latch and said surface being such that when the parts are drawn apart to the said position the latch will engage said surface and prevent further relative movement in that direction between the parts, for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

JOHN J. BROSNAN. 

